St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-10-27
GOV. sAwYER's VETO.

The New Hampshire governors veto
of the Hazen bill was noted last week.
The Springfield Republican, speaking
of the rival Hobbies that have led the
New Hampshire legislature a sorry
pace for these many weeks, and have
made the reputation of that body to
smell in the nOstrils of the whole cOun-
try, says that the clean cut message of
the governor is the first sweet and in
vigOrating breath that has come down
from Concord since the session opened.
The governor bases his veto on the sin
gle ground that the passage of the bill
has been tainted with the suspicion of
fraud, and lie refrains from expressing
an opinion as to the merits of the
measure. The fact that the rival bill,
had it come to the hands of the COVER
nor, would have met similar treatment
and for similar reasons serves to show
the demOralizing influence of lobby
legislation. An abstract of the veto
message, crowded out of last weeks is
sue, is worth reading:
The governor says that without en-
tering upon the intrinsic merits of the
measure, he is moved to Objec' to the
bill for the reason that corrupt meth
DDS have been extensively used to pro-
mote it's passage. He says: "The two
powerful railroad corporations, which
have antagOnized each other in the
contest, have had in attendance paid
lobby of unprecedented magnitude, and
as a consequence the representatives
have been persistently followed and
interfered with in the performance of
their legislative duties. The wide
sfread rumOrs and scandalOus tales of
bribery and corruption which have
been freely current during the progress
of the contest, finally materialized
through charges preferred in the house.
The provision of the con-
stitution limiting the time within
which the executive veto may be in
terpOsed, together with the probable
early adjournment of the legislature,
forces me to take action upon the
measure without waiting for the COM
pletiOn of the investigation and report
of the committee. The evidence thus
far obtained is, i'll my opinion, sufficient
to justify the action here taken. While
| am glad to say that no evidence has
yet been produced to show that any
member of the Legislature has been I'M
faithful to his trust and oath of office,
yet to my mind, it is cOnclusively
shown that there have been deliberate
and systematic attempts at wholesale
bribery of the servants of the people in
this legislature. 1t matters not that
both of the parties are probably equal
ly guilty. The fact that this bill, if it
should become law, would go on the
statute book carrying with it the sus-
piciOn that it had been fraudulently
enacted, is sufficient reason why it,
and all legislation similarly affected,
should be condemned. In such
a degree us these corrupt practices are
allowed to pass unnOticed the moral
sense of not only Legislators, but of the
people, will become dulled to their
enOrmity, and in the end make govern
ment IA farce and an object of contempt.
AS the honor of the individual should
be above price, so, in a larger sense,
should the honor of IA state be jealous |
ly guarded. Being strongly impressed
that the honor and good name of the
state and its Legislature are involved
in cOuntenancing the methods that
have been practiced to secure the pas
sage of this measure, and that all other
considerations should be set aside, and
feeling that my duty is plain, veto
the bill"